Help with chicken coop and run

[jjchickmom]

We did the last big test last night. We left some bird seed and a can of tuna fish in the run overnight. We watched raccoons come and go all night. Some even climbed to the top of the run to try to get in. I saw bits of their fur on the hardware cloth and one jerk of a raccoon pooped on top of the run. No one got in no matter how hard they tried.

 

[jjchickmom]

Raccoons were all around the run last night. We counted 4-6 raccoons. None of them got in but they made a point to come up on both off my balcony decks to poop on them.
I swear I have to sweep raccoon poop into the garden below every morning. On a bad day my Rat Terrier finds the stinky poop elsewhere in the yard and rolls in it. I was worried that they were going to harass our Holland Lops who live on the deck below one of the balcony decks.

I am about 2 seconds away from letting the neighbor kid who sells fur to live trap the buggers and off them elsewhere. That or have my husband sit on the basement patio and shoot them with a high powered pellet gun.

On the positive side an old farmer that we use as a handyman told me nothing was going to get into our run. He saw it and said it was very secure.

 

[kfdaycare]

Where and what kind of lights did you get? Thanks!

 

[ScottandSam]

IF you have ways to get rid of them I would. otherwise you kind of showed them there will be food there. At least if there is that many around you he spilled chicken feed Im sure would bring them back. And you really don't want them around all the time Lots of poop.

Scott

 

[blackdog043]

Have the neighbor kid trap and sell the fur! Don't off them somewhere else.

 

[jjchickmom]

Where and what kind of lights did you get? Thanks!

BAXIA TECHNOLOGY Waterproof Wireless Solar Motion Sensor Night Lights

 

[jeria]

Also from the info I learned from the exterminators trapping the coons in my attic the smell of their poop attracts more coons. It is a signal there may be food or secure shelter. I had the area around my house as well as the attic drenched to get rid of as much of the odor as possible. I may leave mine empty for a day or so at night but even though I think your testing is amazing, I don't want to attract them to start with.

 

[kfdaycare]

BAXIA TECHNOLOGY Waterproof Wireless Solar Motion Sensor Night Lights

Thank you!!!

 

[jjchickmom]

Also from the info I learned from the exterminators trapping the coons in my attic the smell of their poop attracts more coons. It is a signal there may be food or secure shelter. I had the area around my house as well as the attic drenched to get rid of as much of the odor as possible. I may leave mine empty for a day or so at night but even though I think your testing is amazing, I don't want to attract them to start with.

We already had the raccoons in our yard. I believe they den up in our woods or in old woodchuck holes. So we had to test the run and coop prior to adding our new additions. They also like to eat our blackberries, mulberries, cherries, mussels and fish and frogs in the wetlands and river. During the first night we tested we had 6 raccoons and a possum visit. They tried multiple ways to get in but they could not. Now we have 1 possum come and eat whatever the chickens scratch out of the enclosure. Now we have 1-2 raccoons visit once or twice a week just to check for weaknesses. So testing worked for us

 

[jjchickmom]

Thank you!!!

You are welcome they work amazingly well